520 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



receive honours and respect next 

 to the prince himself. 



Whatever, at former periodi, 

 may have been the extent and in- 

 iiuence of the Hindu religion, 

 Bali is now the only island in the 

 Eastern Seas, in which that reli- 

 gion is still prevailing as the na- 

 tional and established religion of 

 the country. That high spirit of 

 enterprize which burst the bounds 

 of the extensive confines of India, 

 like the dove from the ark, rested 

 its weary wing for a while in Java, 

 till driven from thence it sought 

 a refuge in Bali, where even 

 amongst the rudest and most un- 

 tutored of savages, it found an 

 asylum. The four grand divisions 

 of the Hindus are here acknow- 

 ledged, and the number of Bra- 

 mana (Bramins) attached to the 

 small state of B'liling exceeds four 

 hundred, of whom about one hun- 

 dred are termed Pandita. 



Without entering into the par- 

 ticular tenets of the prevailing 

 Hinduism of Bali, which can only 

 be treated of with propriety and 

 correctness after a more thorough 

 acquaintance with the practical 

 duties, and some knowledge of 

 what is contained in their sacred 

 records, it may be affirmed with- 

 out hazard, that Hinduism, as it 

 exists at the present day in Bali, 

 is rather to be considered as the 

 nation dized Hinduism of Bali, in 

 which a laige portion of the na- 

 tive institutions and customs are 

 admitted, than Hinduism as it is 

 understood to prevail on the con- 

 tinent of India. The Brahmins, 

 however, are held* in high vene- 

 ration ; and, on being questioned 

 as to their doctrines and to what 

 sect tUey belong, they answer in- 

 variably, they ar« liramana Siwa. 



They have the same appearance 

 as Bramins wherever they are 

 met with, and the Indian features 

 at oi\ce distinguish them as de- 

 scended from a foreign race. The 

 town and small temples which we 

 occasionally observed, have the 

 appearance of a Maharatta vil- 

 lage, and the eye is struck with 

 every thing strictly Hindu, form- 

 ing a most unexpected contrast 

 with the present style of building 

 and appearance of the country on 

 passing through Java and the 

 other Eastern Islands. 



On inquiring into the relative 

 rank and importance of their dei- 

 ties, they invariably described Bi- 

 tara Guiu as the tirst in rank ; 

 then Bitara Brama, the spirit of 

 fire ; Bitara Wisnu, the spirit of 

 the waters ; and lastly, Bitara 

 Siwa, the spirit of the winds. 



Beside these, they describe nu- 

 merous subordinate deities, to 

 whom they pay adoration ; as 

 Dewa Gid'e Segara, the divinity 

 of the great sea; Dewa Gid'e Da- 

 lam, the divinity who presitles 

 over death ; Gid'e Bali Agung, the 

 great and popular deity of Bali ; 

 Dewa Gid'e Gunning Agung, 

 the great deity of the moimtain ; 

 which last is the deity of most 

 general worship. 



Bitara Gui u, thoue:h considered 

 as the highest object of woiship, 

 is declared to be subordinate to, 

 and only the mediator with the 

 divinity, whom they designate by 

 the expressive and appropriate 

 term of Sang Yang Tung'gal, 

 The great and only One. 



The bodies of deceased persons 

 are invariably burnt, and the 

 wives and concubines of the 

 higher classes perform the sa- 

 critica of Satia. A few days pre- 



riou« 



